Protector for plants and the like



Aug. 10, 1943. A. MIERSON PROTECTOR FOR PLANTS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb.2, 1942 1N VENTOR. Aususru: M/EEJO/V ATTORNEY.

BY grwz m Patented Aug. 10, 1943 2326,54 rnornotroa Foa PLANTS AND ranLIKE Augustus Mierson, San'F rancisjco, Calif. V I Application February2, 1942, Serial No. 429,250 s Claims. (01'. 47 -28) '7 This inventionrelates to protectors forplants and the like.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a protecting coverfor plants and the like which allows the exposure of the plants to airand sun yet keeps the plants covered 'so as to protect the plants fromunfavorable weather,.or from insects, birds'and other harmful conditions to which the plants would be exposed if remained uncovered.

Another object of this invention is to provide a plant protectorcoverwhich fits over the usual tray or container for seeds, or young orsensitive plants yet allows air and sunshine to'the plants, and which ispositively located in prede termined position onsuch container or canbeeasily converted fordirect support in the ground over an outside bed orplot. I

Another object of this invention is to provide a protector for plantsandthe like whichis highly useful and simple in construction. Genclamps orclips stripsorside boards l3, the ends of which are suitably attached tothe respective vertical edges 80f the end boards 6 soas to form a rigidframe.

The side boards l3-arenarrower than the height of the respectivevertical edges 8 of the end boards'fi'. The lower edge of each sideboard 13 is in. the same plane as the bottomedges L of the end-boards 6so thatthe upperipor'tions of the vertical edges 8of the end boards 6are left. uncovered by said side boards 13. "The corners of the'framearesecured together by any suitable means, for iiist'anc'e by corner I 4. Abrace It extends across between the apices'll of the'endboards;

A sheet is of transparent or translucentmaterial capable of allowinggultraviolet sun r'ay's V to pass thereth'r'ough is secured over the topvenience or" arrangement, lightness and comparative inexpense ofmanufacture are further ob.-

jects whichhave been. borne in mind in the production and development ofthe invention. It will beunderstood that various changes in the detailsof construction may be made without departing from thespirit or scope ofthe invention as defined by the appended claims.

With the foregoing andother objects in view, I

which will be made manifest in' the following detailed description,reference is bad to the accompanying drawingior the illustrative ern- Vbodiment of the invention, wherein: I Fig. 1 is a perspective view ofthe protector,

the flat containing the plants isv indicated in broken lines.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view. of the plant protector. w Fig. 3 isafragmental sectional viewof the plant protector, showing the supportinglegs in ground penetrating position.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental sectional view, taken on the lines i -4 of Fig.8;and

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of anotherform of the plant protector. I V

In carrying out my invention I make use of end boards 6, each of whichin-the illustrative embodiment shown in Fig.- 1 has a substantial-1 lyhorizontal bottom edge l short vertical edges 8, and upwardly inclinedtop edges 9, which latter converge to a substantially central apex H.Each end board 6 is provided with a plurality of ventilating holes I2.The opposite sides of the protector cover are formed by horizontal sheetN5 overlap '5, side boards i6 forms-a protective enclosurefor plantscovsurfaces of the fiat l8 edges 9, the brace Ehe edges of the verticalsides of the transparent 13 as shown in Fig; 2 at ll. l6 is preferablyof flexible, non shattering material, such as the translucent materialcalled cellioglassif 1 The cover formed y the assembled end boards 13,and transparent top sheet ered thereby, yet it allows plants .to sun andair; as a so called flat in Figs. 1 and 2.

the exposure of the A suitable tray such tom edges of the end boards andside' boards of the cover fit over the. outside of: the top of this fiatl8.

In order to;support cover on the flatjlfi at a suitable height I providean abutment in each inside corner of bottom edges of the cover sothatfthe lower pore tion of said side boards at the top to a degreedetermined by the'location of these abutments, These abutments areformed by foldable legs is which are so made and so supported. that theycan function as supports 'for the coverboth pen a flat and also in theground; The structures of these supports being identical 'thedescription of one will sufiice. The leg [9 fisrn'ade of angle crosssection so as to fit into the inner corner 2| formed at -the meetingends of the end boards 6 and the side boards l3','as' shown in Fig. 4.Theinner oted on a pivot screw l5 and over theupper portions of thevertical edges 8 of the*end"boards 6. Y

the inner faceof the side boards This cover sheet I8 is indicated bybroken lines v I Itis .to be noted. that in this preferred embodiment ofthe invention the-botthe cover spaced from. the

will overlap the, outerend of the leg 19 is piv 22 extended through'the7 side board It. On the inner end ofth pivot folding of the leg l9.

screw 22 is a square nut 23 close to the corher of the angle of the legl9 so that as the leg 23 is turned to the downwardly extended positionit turns the nut 23 in one direction and when the leg I9 is folded intothe cover it turns the nut in the other direction, preferably tighteningthe nut when the leg 19 is folded. This arrangement also prevents theloosening of the nut 23 on the pivot screw 22.

A stop 24 on the side board i3 is- So located as to liriiit the inwardswinging to the hen,- zontal position of the leg l9, as shown in brokenlines in Fig. 4. In this folded position the legs l9 rest on the topedge of the flat l8, and the pivot 2|. and the stop 24 aid in supportingthe weight of the cover in' place. A suitable catch is provided toprevent the accidental folding of the leg 19 from its extended position.In this embodiment this catch is in the form of a spring bar 26 mountedin a recess 21 under the folded position of. the leg Id. The endof'thespring bar 25 farthest from-thel'eg I9 is fixed in the recess. The otherend of the spring bar "is bent outward-1y fromthe recess 2-1 and tenminates in a bent end; 28- whioh abuts again-st the inner edge of the,leg, [-9 when the leg is unfolded -from{ the cover, as shown in Fig. 4.

Thus theleg i9 is prevented from buckling, outwar-sly bythe inner cornerH of the cover, and

from buckling inwardly by the bent *endZd of the spring bar 2'5; Inorder; to fold the leg l9 the springbar 28isdepressed into- :the recess21 and the leg i9 is folded thereover. The pres.- sure of the spring bar25 on the underside of the leg H when folded createsffurther frictionalresistance against the accidental dropping or un- The outer end 2970fthe leg I9 is out toapoint for easier penetration into the soilwhen thecover is used on an cut side bed directly on the-ground. f The .modifiedform of the protective cove shown in Fig. 5' is similartothecfirstd'escrib'ed form; except that, end boards 31 have" a lowerfront vertical edge 32 and a higher vertical rear edge 33, and one sideboard 34 is lower'than the other sideboard 36'of the cover. This resultsin a single inclined top plane 38. The side boards 34 and Stare shorterthan the respective vertical sides 32 and 33 of the end boards 3f, sothat the transparent or translucent sheet ccv- :1 eri-ng overlapsdown-to the top parts of the VET- tic'al edges '32 and 33 of the. endboards 3|; In other respects this cover operates similarly to the firstdescribed form.

In operation the protective covering can be used in the nature of agreenhouse or the like to protect young seedlings, or plants from wind;insects, birds orthe' like harmful exposures. These plants may be in theusual t'r ay's e'r flats', in which instance the legs of the protectivecover are folded so as to function as supporting abutments to rest-onthe top edge of the flat. In the event a bed of plants in theop'enground is to be protected, then the legs are unfoldedand pressed intothe ground to a desired depth to hold the protective cover in suitableposition. Thus the plants beneath thisprote'cti've cover arefullyprotec'ted yet exposed to the beneficial rays of the sun and the air.While I refer here-into thejside panels or frame members of the deviceas boards, it is to be understood that these frame members maybe made ofany suitable material other than wood. The device is simple instructure, positive in. operation, and unitary'in character,

and therefore it readily lends itself to use by the ordinary layman.

I claim:

1. A protective cover for plants and the like, comprising a frame, atransparent Wall on the frame, means to locate the frame on the bordersof a surface to be protected, and means to selectively hold saidlocating means in abutmentposition within the frame and in extendedground engaging position. I 2'. Aprotective cover for plants arid thelike, comprising end walls having opposed vertical edges, side Wallsattached to the respective edges of the end walls and being of suchheight as to leave free an upper portion of each of the vertical edgesof said end walls, a flexible transparent sheet extended over the top ofthe frame formedby said walls and down so as to overlap said side walls,said flexible sheet being secured to the top edges and the exposed topportions of the vertical edges of the end walls, the frame formed bysaid walls slidably fitting over a tray for plants and the andmeans onthe frame tolimit overlapping of said frame, said limiting means beingadapted to be converted into legs means to holdthe legs in foldedposition so as torest on the tray and support the protector inspacedposition above the tray, and'means to hold saidlegs inextendedpos'ition .so' as to be inserted into the ground to holdthe'protector in spaced positionabove the surface of the ground irrespectiveof. a tray.

'4. The combination with a protector for plants and the like, having aframe and transparent top on the frame, the bottom of the frame beingopen and fitting over the sides of a tray for plants and the like; ofspacing and supporting means for the protector, comprising,pivoted legson the frame, a stop adjacent each leg to hold the legs in foldedposition so as to act as abutments to rest on the sides of trays andsupport the protector-in position on the trays,an"d means to hold thelegs against buckling in the extended position to be inserted in theground to hold the protector above the surface of the ground.

' 5.- The combination with-a protector for plants 3. the like, having aframev and transparent top on the frame, the bottom of the frame beingopen and fitting over the sides of a tray for plants and the like; ofspacing and supporting means for the protector, comprising, pivoted Qlegs on the frame, a stop adjacent each leg to hold the legs in foldedposition so as to act as abutments to rest on the sides of-trays andsupport the protector in position on the trays, and releasable means tohold thelegs against buckling in the extended position to be inserted inthe ground to hold the protector above the surface of the" ground. 7

'6. The combination with a protector for plants and the like, having aframe andtransparent top onthe frame, the bottom of the frame being openandfitting over the sides of a tray for plants arid thelike"; of spacingand supporting means,

fortlie protector, comprising, pivoted legs on the frame,- astop-adjacent each leg to hold the legs in folded position so as toact'as abutments to and the like, having a frame and transparent top' onthe frame, the bottom of the frame being open and fitting over the sidesof a tray for plants and the like; of spacing and-supporting means forthe protector, comprising, pivoted legs on the 7 open and fitting over"the 7 plants and the like; of spacing and supporting 7 means for theprotector, comprising, pivoted legs on the frame adapted to act as restson the tray frame, a stop adjacent each leg to hold the legs in foldedposition so as to act as abutments to rest on the sides of trays andsupport the'protector in position on the trays, and each of said pivotedlegs fitting into an inside corner of the frame so as to be bracedthereby in the extended position, said frame having a recess adjacenteachleg, a spring stop in each recess abutting against'an edge of theleg soras to obstruct its pivoting to folding position, said spring stopbeing compressible into said recess to permit the' folding of the leg,said'sprin'g'stopbeing under the folded positions of the respectivelegsto in-. resistance to the unfoldcrease the frictional ing of the legs. 7V

8. The combination with a protector for plants and the like, having aframe and-transparent top on the frame, the bottom of the frame beingsides of a trayfor when folded spaced from the bottom of the protectorand toact as legsin the ground in the ex tended positions, said pivotincluding a tightening element turned with the AUGUSTUS MIERso legs soas to tighten the pivot when the legs are folded and hold the legscollapsed.

